Failures and Triumphs In Self Control, Plus Miscellany
Oh no, I'm sorry to hear that Kris Kristofferson died. There's never been a better songwriter. And he was a good friend to Sinead O'Connor when the Bob Dylan tribute crowd turned on her.
The Pilgrim, Chapter 33
See him wasted on the sidewalk, in his jacket and his jeans
Wearin' yesterday's misfortunes like a smile
Once he had a future, full of money love and dreams
Which he spent like they was goin' out o' style
And he keeps right on a'changin', for the better or the worse
Searchin' for a shrine he's never found
Never knowin' if believin', is a blessin' or a curse
Or if the goin' up was worth, the comin' down
He's a poet, an' he's a picker, he's a prophet, an' he's a pusher
He's a pilgrim and a preacher, and a problem when he's stoned
He's a walkin' contradiction, partly truth and partly fiction
Takin' ev'ry wrong direction on his lonely way back home
He has tasted good and evil, in your bedrooms and your bars
And he's traded in tomorrow for today
Runnin' from his devils Lord, and reachin' for the stars
And losin' all he loved, along the way
But if this world keeps right on turnin', for the better or the worse
And all he ever gets is older and around
From the rockin' of the cradle, to the rollin' of the hearse
The goin' up was worth, the comin' down
He's a poet, an' he's a picker, he's a prophet, an' he's a pusher
He's a pilgrim and a preacher, and a problem when he's stoned
He's a walkin' contradiction, partly truth and partly fiction
Takin' ev'ry wrong direction on his lonely way back home
There's a lot of wrong directions, on that lonely way back home
September 29, 2024
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David Foster Wallace, Forever Overhead- "Bees have to move very fast to stay still."
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I'm watching the Ken Burns documentary on Muhammad Ali. Worst thing about it is that I've seen a ton of Muhammad Ali documentaries already in this one isn't much different than the others. The best thing about it is that somehow I can never remember which fights he lost so I'm always surprised.
September 29, 2021
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I'm glad to see that the person who caught Albert Pujols 700th home run ball is keeping it.
What is it about the other regular people giving monumental home run balls back to the millionaires who hit them, when they can sell the ball for millions of dollars? If the millionaire wants it that badly, he can easily afford it.
They often say things like, "Well it belongs to him." If it belongs to him, why did he hit it so far away? They should keep it, sell it, and become millionaires themselves.
If they really want to test their theory though, they should go to the bank after it's sold, withdraw their millions of dollars in all ones, throw them off the Empire State Building, and convince everybody below to give it back, because it really belongs to you.
September 29, 2022
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On this day in 1954, Willie Mays made his famous catch.
https://youtu.be/FSiCT8oejug
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The New York Times has 20 years of Trump's tax returns that show he has $400+ million coming due in a few years, likely to some foreign entity, and that he reports his businesses have lost hundreds of millions of dollars during that time. He screams "fake news," yet he has the ability (if he wished) to release his "real" tax returns which would totally embarrass the media for their false story. Based strictly on this framework, it's true.
September 29, 2020
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2020 Presidential Debate Thoughts
-Perhaps, I said PERHAPS, a president should be able to display self-control. Maybe that could be a debate topic next round, "Should a president have self-control?" Imagine the bar that would set for Trump in the next debate. I guess he wins if he exhibits self-control??? He could not possibly meet that bar.
-Question to consideration for the next debate- "Should the ability to display self-control be a pre-requisite for access to the nuclear codes."
-If Trump can't even listen to a moderator's questions and an opponent's responses, how much do you think he listens to his own experts?
-How do they do the next debate, moderator controls the mics?
-Brian Williams, quoting Cormac McCarthy- "If that wasn't a mess, it will do until the mess gets here."
September 29, 2020
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Kenneth Kendall Art- 1995 porcelain miniature of Ben Kreider by Kenneth Kendall from The James Dean Gallery collection. Gifted back to Ben from David Loehr in September of 2019.
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I saw something earlier today that I can't shake. A dad with a bag of cotton candy chasing after his morbidly obese toddler saying, "Here, eat some!"
September 29, 2018
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I was just watching a parade with my friend Phil who grew up in the 30's. He said, "When we would have parades in my small town of West York there were horses, and these two old little ladies would go out in the street with their dust pans and fight over the horseshit to put on their roses." That is a gold nugget of an anecdote.
A minute later a family walked by- mom, dad, 4 kids aged maybe 2-8. Phil said, "I'm no prude but look at that dad's shirt. I don't think that's right." It said- I DON'T GIVE A FLYIN' HILLBILLY FUCK.
I said, "That's probably the 2018 equivalent of fighting over horseshit in the street." Or at least that's what I wish I said, but it took me 2 hours to think of it.
September 29, 2018
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The Hill- Health Secretary Tom Price has been forced to resign following reports that he spent over $1 million of taxpayer money on private jet and military flights for both business and pleasure.
-But who could have ever guessed he was less than scrupulous??? It's not like he bought stock and then authored a bill benefiting that company or had other shady stock dealings or anything. And it's not like his health care plan was actually a tax plan benefiting the rich. Actually it's just like that. He's bad. Funny isn't it, that it would be absurd to think he'd be asked to repay that money?
September 20, 2017
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Did you hear about all of those clown sightings recently? I saw one the other night. Acting crazy, funny hair, weird makeup. He was on TV Monday night debating Hillary Clinton.
September 29, 2016
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"On this site in 1897, nothing happened." -plaque on the wall of Woody Creek Tavern, Woody Creek, Colorado
September 29, 2015
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Picture Day practice.
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My prediction for the end of Breaking Bad: There will be consequences for everybody's actions. Some of the consequences will be rather extreme, and there will be some sort of redemption. I write horoscopes too.
Emma and I decided- if she goes into labor we're sticking around until the end of the show.
September 29, 2013
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Fairmount, Indiana, Ben & Cleo, by Faye Murman
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Awhile ago I asked if vegetarians could eat a pig that only ate vegetables it's entire life. It's entirely made up of vegetables, right? Let me ask the same question a different way- Is the fact that a lifelong vegetarian is more than a vegetable proof that they are more than the sum of their parts?
September 29, 2009
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So, if one bottle of wine contains about 5 glasses worth of wine, and it takes an hour for my body to filter out the alcohol of each glass... then why can't I drink a bottle (or two) over a 10-hour drive?
September 29, 2009
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Fran Lebowitz- "Great people talk about ideas, average people talk about things, and small people talk about wine."
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The Sopranos episode Christopher was released on this day in 2002. This back and forth between Tony and Sylvia about Italian immigrants and our own self-determination is a knockout. It was written by Michael Imperioli.
https://youtu.be/XhZcWCbPEC0
The key detail that makes the clip memorable was the cut to Frankie Valli singing Dawn, which is cut from this clip. Great dialogue though.
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Miguel de Cervantes was born on this day in 1547.
"When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies? Perhaps to be too practical is madness. To surrender dreams — this may be madness. Too much sanity may be madness — and maddest of all: to see life as it is, and not as it should be!"
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Miguel de Unamuno was born on this day in 1864.
"Only he who attempts the absurd is capable of achieving the impossible."
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Enrico Fermi was born on this day in 1901. He discovered two of the four forces in physics, the weak force and the strong force which joined gravity and electromagnetism. He also created the piano tuner question. You can get a pretty good estimate of any random question by estimating a variety of variables. Each variable has a 50% chance of being too high or too low, and they tend to average out.
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The iconic Anita Ekberg was born on this day in 1931.
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Confucius- "Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it."
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Problematic musical genius, Jerry Lee Lewis, was born on this day in 1935. I don't use the word "problematic" too often, but jeez!
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Madeline Kahn join us on this day in 1942. She was perfect as Trixie Delight in Paper Moon.
Kiddo, I understand how you feel. But you don't have to worry. One of these days you're gonna be just as pretty as Mademoiselle. Maybe prettier. You already got bone structure. When I was your age I didn't have no bone structure. Took me years to get bone structure. And don't think bone structure's not important. Nobody started to call me "Mademoiselle" 'til I was seventeen and getting a little bone structure. When I was your age, I was skinnier than a pole. I never thought I'd have nothin' up here.
[Pointing to her chest.]
You're gonna have 'em up there too. Look, I'll tell you what. Want me to show you how to use cosmetics?
[Pulls off earrings and holds them in palm]
Look, I'll let you put on my earrings. You're gonna see how pretty you're gonna be. And I'll show you how to make up your eyes. And your lips. And I'll see to it you get a little bra or somethin'. But right now, you're gonna pick your little ass up, you're gonna drop it in the back seat, and you're gonna cut out the crap! You understand?
[Turns around, starts to walk away, then turns back around]
You're going to ruin it, ain't ya? Look, I don't wanna wipe you out. And I don't want you wipin' me out, you know? So, I'm gonna level with you, okay? Now, you see with me it's just a matter of time. I don't know why, but somehow I just don't manage to hold on real long. So, if you wait it out a little it'll be over, you know? I mean, even if I want a fella, somehow or other I manage to get it screwed up. Maybe I'll get a new pair of shoes, a nice dress, a few laughs. Times are hard. Now, if you fool around on the hill up here, then you don't get nothin', I don't get nothin', he don't get nothin'. So, how 'bout it, honey? Just for a little while, let ol' Trixie sit up front with her big tits.
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Nicholas Winding Refn joined us on this day in 1970. His list of the 10 greatest films:
• The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Tobe Hooper, 1974)
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W.H. Auden left us on this day in 1973.
FUNERAL BLUES
Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,
Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,
Silence the pianos and with muffled drum
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.
Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead
Scribbling on the sky the message 'He is Dead'.
Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves,
Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.
He was my North, my South, my East and West,
My working week and my Sunday rest,
My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;
I thought that love would last forever: I was wrong.
The stars are not wanted now; put out every one,
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun,
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood;
For nothing now can ever come to any good.
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Casey Stengel left us on this day in 1975.
"If anyone wants me, tell them I'm being embalmed."
“The key to being a good manager is keeping the people who hate me away from those who are still undecided.”
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Charles Addams left us one this day in 1988.
The Gashlycrumb Tinies
A is for Amy who fell down the stairs.
B is for Basil assaulted by bears.
C is for Clara who wasted away.
D is for Desmond thrown out of a sleigh.
E is for Ernest who choked on a peach.
F is for Fanny sucked dry by a leech.
G is for George smothered under a rug.
H is for Hector done in by a thug.
I is for Ida who drowned in a lake.
J is for James who took lye by mistake.
K is for Kate who was struck with an axe.
L is for Leo who swallowed some tacks.
M is for Maud who was swept out to sea.
N is for Neville who died of ennui.
O is for Olive run through with an awl.
P is for Prue trampled flat in a brawl.
Q is for Quentin who sank in a mire.
R is for Rhoda consumed by a fire.
S is for Susan who perished of fits.
T is for Titus who flew into bits.
U is for Una who slipped down a drain.
V is for Victor squashed under a train.
W is for Winnie embedded in ice.
X is for Xerxes devoured by mice.
Y is for Yorick whose head was knocked in.
Z is for Zillah who drank too much gin.
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Comedian Greg Giraldo died of an accidental drug overdose on this day in 2010.
"This homeless guy asked me for money the other day. I was about to give it to him and then I thought he was going to use it on drugs or alcohol. And then I thought, that's what I'm going to use it on. Why am I judging this poor bastard?"
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Tony Curtis left us the same day. Here he is on the set of Some Like It Hot with his daughter Jamie Lee Curtis.
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Other notable birthdays- Gene Autry (1907), Michelangelo Antonioni (1912), Stanley Kramer (1913)
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Anther notable deathday- Émile Zola (1902)
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I highly recommend watching the Frontline documentary, The Choice
-Clinton sees a MLK Jr speech back in college which her friend says was a life-altering experience for each of them. Can you imagine the same for Trump? Of course not, but we can all imagine him lying with a straight face, saying it was a life-altering experience.
-An elementry school classmate clearly remembers her being voted most likely to marry a senator... says they couldn't even conceive at the time that a woman could be more than that. Whoa!
-Trump's father had several guiding principles, two of which in particular had a profound impact- someone's genes make them a superior person, and life is a competition resulting in winners and losers.
-Trump's mentor and lawyer in the 70's was this freaking creep who it turns out was a key aid to McCarthy during the HUAC hearings.
-Trump's ghost-writer on The Art of the Deal coined a term the Trump loved- truthful hyperbole. A nonsense term, essentially meaning a lie. You can imagine Trump justifying all of his lies to himself, "that was just a truthful hyperbole."
-Key takeaway- agree with Hillary or not, there is a ton of evidence that she cares about people, but with Trump there is nothing that suggests that he cares about people, and massive evidence that he holds money above all. (Why? Because it proves to his father that he's a winner and he's been trying to gain his love ever since being the one of five children sent to a military academy for his unruliness.)
http://to.pbs.org/2dzqk09
September 29, 2016
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What??? No way the president did this! He has good character. The best character. Tremendous character, believe me.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/09/28/donald-trump-fire-reportedly-physically-mocking-john-mccain/
September 29, 2017
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The Hill- Analysis: Tax plan would cost $2.4T, benefit wealthy most
Fill the swamp!!!
"An analysis of President Trump’s tax plan by the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center has revealed that the plan would cost the country $2.4 trillion in lost revenue, and about 80 percent of the total benefit would go to the top 1 percent of taxpayers."
http://hill.cm/fLsDSXC
September 29, 2017
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In Dave Chappelle's The Closer, apparently some stuff was too mean so the Rotten Tomatoes critic score was 35%.
Also apparent, some stuff must have been too funny because the Rotten Tomatoes audience score was 99%.
The only explanation is that the critics are judging a comedy special by some measure other than how funny it is.
I love this quote from his new special: "Comedians have a responsibility to speak recklessly. Sometimes the funniest thing to say is mean. I’m not saying it to be mean, I’m saying it to be funny.”
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/dave-chappelle-closer-netflix-1235022525/
September 29, 2021
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Aldous Huxley- “The deepest sin against the human mind is to believe things without evidence.”
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Georgia O’Keeffe- “You get whatever accomplishment you are willing to declare.”
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Haruki Murakami- "Maybe working on the little things as dutifully and honestly as we can is how we stay sane when the world is falling apart."
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Louis Pasteur- "Fortune favors the prepared mind."
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Schopenhauer- "If you want to reach a large audience, appeal to idiots."
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Confucius- "If you make a mistake and do not correct it, this is called a mistake."
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Michel de Montaigne- "The most fruitful and natural exercise for our minds is, in my opinion, conversation."
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Freud- “Love and work, work and love… that’s all there is.”
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Shel Silverstein, A Light in the Attic:
Draw a crazy picture,
Write a nutty poem,
Sing a mumble-gumble song,
Whistle through your comb.
Do a loony-goony dance
'Cross the kitchen floor,
Put something silly in the world
That ain't been there before.
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Martin Heidegger- "What was Aristotle’s life?’ Well, the answer lay in a single sentence: ‘He was born, he thought, he died.’ And all the rest is pure anecdote."
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George Santayana- "We must welcome the future, remembering that soon it will be the past; and we must respect the past, remembering that it was once all that was humanly possible."
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Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft- "Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work."
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Greg Giraldo never believed in soulmates until Seigfried and Roy. "Because there you have a gay lion tamer who hooked up with another gay lion tamer."
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